The present invention relates generally to paperboard cartons for use in packaging articles and, more particularly, relates to a dispensing carton having an opening assist to facilitate the use of the dispensing feature of the carton.
Cartons are useful for allowing consumers to purchase, transport and store a desired quantity of articles such as soft drinks. For the convenience of the consumer, some cartons have dispensers which allow the articles to be removed one at a time while continuing to encase the remaining articles. A portion of the carton is torn out to form an opening from which articles may be dispensed.
For example, the carton is pulled open by tearing across the top of the erected carton. Typically, the consumer tears along the top of the carton by inserting fingers through a tear line in order to pull open the dispenser. The carton is then torn down along each of the side walls of the erected carton to define a dispensing trough for retaining each article as it is about to be dispensed. The dispensing trough is hingedly connected along a line of perforations extending across the carton end and may be completely removed from the carton by tearing along the perforations.
However, when forming the opening in the carton to dispense articles from the dispenser, the perforations along the carton end often allow unintended paper tears. Also, seams created by overlapping edges of end flaps which form the end of the carton may make removal of the trough from the carton more difficult. In either case, other panels may be torn out which leads to failure of the dispensing trough. Failure of the trough could lead to the articles rolling out of the carton prematurely.
Therefore, there is a need for a carton having an improved dispenser that allows the consumer to more easily open the carton for dispensing articles, without unintended paper tears, while continuing to facilitate easy access to the articles to be dispensed from the carton.